TESSA.
I was curled up on my couch, the half-empty bottle of tequila sweating on the table, my bare feet tucked under me. My throat was raw from the burn, but I poured another shot anyway. I didn’t care. If I drank enough, maybe this birthday would blur into nothing.
The knock on my door didn’t stop, even when I ignored it. Then it opened without warning.
“Tessa?” Nova’s voice cut through, sharp and disapproving.
I groaned, pressing the rim of the glass to my lips. “Go away, Nova.”
She didn’t. Of course, she didn’t. She walked in like she owned the place, plucked the glass from my hand, and set it down with a sharp clink.
“You’re pathetic,” she said.
“Thanks,” I muttered, reaching for the bottle.
She snatched that too, lifting it above her head. “You really think I’m letting you si
